Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in McClain County, Oklahoma

85 tornadoes have crossed McClain County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 15th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of 1.1 a year. They have killed 67 people and injured 963. 4 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
85
Deaths
67
Injuries
963
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F5, May 3, 1999

The deadliest in McClain County

  1. F5 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, OklahomaMay 3, 199936 killed, 583 injured
  2. EF5 Moore tornado, OklahomaMay 20, 201324 killed, 212 injured
  3. F3, McClain, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties, OklahomaNovember 19, 19735 killed, 36 injured
  4. EF4 Chickasha tornado, OklahomaMay 24, 20111 killed, 48 injured
  5. EF3 Cole tornado, OklahomaApril 19, 20231 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, OklahomaMay 3, 1999F5, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  2. EF5 Moore tornado, OklahomaMay 20, 2013EF5, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  3. EF4 Chickasha tornado, OklahomaMay 24, 2011EF4, 33.3 mi (54 km)
  4. EF4 Goldsby tornado, OklahomaMay 24, 2011EF4, 23.1 mi (37 km)
  5. F3, McClain, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties, OklahomaNovember 19, 1973F3, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  6. EF3 Cole tornado, OklahomaApril 19, 2023EF3, 10.9 mi (18 km)
  7. F2, Grady, McClain and Cleveland counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1990F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  8. EF2, McClain and Cleveland counties, OklahomaFebruary 26, 2023EF2, 26.1 mi (42 km)
  9. F2, McClain and Cleveland counties, OklahomaMarch 13, 1990F2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  10. F2, McClain and Cleveland counties, OklahomaDecember 29, 1972F2, 14.5 mi (23 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 41 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in McClain County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF2
20254EF1
20245EF2
202311114EF3
20221EF2
20192EF1
20182EF1
20171EF1
20156EF1
2013124212EF5
20121EF1
201171109EF4
20102EF1
20091EF1
20081EF0
20031F0
1999336583F5
19983F2
199722F2
19963F0
19932F1
199211F2
199113F1
199021F2
19851F1
19842F0
19822F2
19811F1
19791F0
19771F1
19731536F3
19721F2
19652F1
19641F0
19621F2
19611F1
19601F1
19591F0
19571F1
19561F1
195322F2

Every tornado that crossed McClain County

85 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 8, 20267:24 AM CSTEF2McClain9.40
June 6, 20255:52 AM CDTEF0McClain2.350$2,000
June 6, 20254:54 AM CDTEF0McClain1.3100$1,000
June 6, 20254:48 AM CDTEF0McClain1.530$15,000
June 3, 20255:00 PM CDTEF1McClain2.8125$60,000
November 3, 20241:11 AM CSTEF1McClain7.0200$5.0 million
April 27, 20249:20 PM CDTEF2McClain4.9125$200,000
April 27, 20249:17 PM CDTEF0McClain1.740$2,000
April 27, 20249:12 PM CDTEF1McClain0.540$2,000
April 27, 20248:53 PM CDTEF1McClain4.4225$44,000
May 11, 20238:29 PM CDTEF1McClain9.4250$100,000
May 11, 20238:12 PM CDTEF0McClain0.430
May 11, 20237:42 PM CDTEF0McClain2.130$5,000
May 11, 20237:36 PM CDTEF0Grady0.430$4,000
April 19, 20237:56 PM CDTEF1McClain0.850$4,000
April 19, 20237:55 PM CDTEF1McClain7.5700$26,000
April 19, 20237:47 PM CDTEF1McClain2.2400$30,000
April 19, 20237:38 PM CDTEF1McClain1.2250$5,000
April 19, 20237:30 PM CDTEF3Cole tornado10.91,20012$4.0 million
April 19, 20237:20 PM CDTEF1Grady2.9200$30,000
February 26, 20239:15 PM CSTEF2McClain26.190012$50 million
December 13, 20225:27 AM CSTEF2McClain4.9300$80,000
June 16, 20195:50 PM CDTEF0McClain0.220
May 21, 20193:45 AM CDTEF1McClain3.8250$31,000
May 19, 201812:17 AM CDTEF0McClain7.050$10,000
May 2, 20188:48 PM CDTEF1McClain4.740$10,000
October 21, 20178:36 PM CDTEF1Cleveland3.450$102,000
December 26, 20151:57 PM CSTEF0McClain0.120
May 23, 20156:30 PM CDTEF0McClain0.550
May 23, 20156:11 PM CDTEF1McClain2.050
May 19, 20152:51 PM CDTEF0McClain0.120
May 19, 20152:40 PM CDTEF0McClain0.120
May 6, 20155:33 PM CDTEF1McClain1.0200
May 20, 20132:56 PM CDTEF5Moore tornado13.81,90024212$2.0 billion
April 13, 20123:59 PM CDTEF1Cleveland6.0600
November 7, 201110:47 PM CSTEF1McClain1.6110
May 24, 20116:02 PM CDTEF1McClain0.540
May 24, 20115:45 PM CDTEF0McClain0.750
May 24, 20115:26 PM CDTEF4Goldsby tornado23.188061
May 24, 20115:06 PM CDTEF4Chickasha tornado33.3880148
April 22, 20117:59 PM CDTEF1McClain to MO, IL0.230$5,000
April 22, 20117:45 PM CDTEF0McClain0.5150
May 10, 20105:37 PM CDTEF0McClain0.8150
May 10, 20105:36 PM CDTEF1McClain4.6880
April 29, 200910:11 AM CDTEF1Garvin6.840
May 7, 20085:21 PM CDTEF0Cleveland4.625$25,000
May 8, 20035:00 PM CDTF0McClain0.230
May 3, 19997:10 PM CDTF0McClain0.220
May 3, 19996:26 PM CDTF5Bridge Creek–Moore tornado37.01,43036583$1.0 billion
April 5, 19996:03 AM CDTF1McClain3.00$40,000
November 9, 19989:15 PM CSTF1McClain4.5130$110,000
October 4, 19988:26 PM CDTF0Cleveland1.530$1,000
October 4, 19988:15 PM CDTF2McClain5.080$130,000
May 25, 19975:32 PM CDTF0McClain0.220$1,000
May 25, 19975:00 PM CDTF2McClain6.01,3202$900,000
June 6, 19966:40 PM CDTF0McClain0.110
June 6, 19966:35 PM CDTF0McClain0.120
May 26, 199610:32 PM CDTF0McClain0.125
September 13, 19932:30 PM CDTF0McClain0.123
March 29, 19939:52 PM CSTF1Grady5.033
September 2, 19926:15 PM CDTF2McClain8.04001$50,000 to $500,000
May 2, 19918:00 PM CDTF1McClain0.3303$5,000 to $50,000
March 13, 19905:31 PM CSTF2McClain18.0150$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 19904:44 PM CSTF2Grady28.02001$500,000 to $5 million
March 26, 19858:47 PM CSTF1McClain0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19846:45 PM CDTF0McClain6.0100$50 to $500
May 27, 19846:35 PM CDTF0McClain6.8100$500 to $5,000
August 27, 19825:00 PM CDTF2McClain1.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19824:00 AM CDTF2McClain1.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 17, 19815:46 PM CDTF1Cleveland4.2100
August 21, 19798:30 PM CDTF0McClain0.110
March 2, 19774:30 PM CSTF1Grady5.7100$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 19737:30 PM CSTF3McClain24.2500536$500,000 to $5 million
December 29, 19728:15 PM CSTF2McClain14.540$5,000 to $50,000
April 14, 19655:30 PM GMT-6F0McClain0.110
April 5, 19651:30 PM GMT-6F1McClain0.110$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19646:30 PM GMT-6F0McClain0.110
May 26, 19629:58 PM GMT-5F2McClain6.8100$5,000 to $50,000
February 17, 19614:30 PM GMT-6F1McClain0.517$50 to $500
May 23, 19609:30 PM GMT-5F1McClain1.533under $50
September 3, 19598:45 AM GMT-5F0McClain0.110
May 24, 195710:00 PM GMT-5F1McClain0.110under $50
April 28, 19562:20 PM GMT-6F1Grady35.410$50 to $500
April 2, 19539:58 PM GMT-6F0McClain0.110
March 13, 19536:45 PM GMT-6F2McClain2.01002$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in McClain CountyThe forecast for McClain CountyThe live radar over McClain CountyEvery county in Oklahoma

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.